Stand And Deliver
by FloatingAmoeba
Summary: It's Friday night, and Lilly finally allows herself some time to let her hair down. So what happens when she realises that Philly isn't exactly safe for a woman on her own? Her knight in shining armour arrives...Fluff. Major fluff. Lilly/Scotty, duh.


A/N I actually have no idea where this came from, but I did promise it would be posted a while ago, and, well, I lied. But here it is. And it's quite a long one-shot. I am also aware that Lilly could probably look after herself in most situations, but if I acknowledged that, I would have no story, so...I really hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Only in my imagination. In FloatingAmoeba Land, they're already married with a baby on the way.

* * *

"¡Uno momento, amigo! ¡Necesito los aire fresco!"

"¡Dios Mío, Scotty! Tu son loco."

Scotty Valens chuckled, shutting the front door behind him. The music pumped through the walls, echoing out into the night.

The bar across the street was hopping with people. _I guess it is Friday night. People windin' down from the week. Wonder what the guys are doin'? Wonder what..._

Scotty watched as two people appeared from the bar. The man, who was obviously far from sober, lunged at his companion. She stepped back, pushing him away. Scotty wasn't close enough to hear the woman's angry words, or see her face for the hood over her head, but the drunk wasn't taking no for an answer. He pawed at the woman's coat, and she pushed him away again.

Standing his beer bottle on the wall, Scotty walked across. _I know, I know, typical hero complex._ He tapped the guy on the shoulder.

"Yo, dude. I don't think she's interested," he said calmly.

"Fuck you!"

"Look, man, I ain't spoilin' for a fight, but..."

"Get outta here, asshole!"

The woman pulled down her hood.

"Scotty?" The male detective's eyes widened in surprise.

"Lil?"

He wasn't sure exactly what happened next. Scotty suddenly found himself flat on his back in the snow, staring at the stars.

"Leave, before I call the police," he heard Lilly snap.

The bar door opened, closed, and then she was crouching in the snow beside him.

"Are you alright?" she asked in concern. Scotty winced, running a hand over his jaw.

"Shouldn't I be askin' you the same thing?" Lilly blushed.

"You'd think I could handle a horny drunk," she mumbled, offering him a hand as she stood up.

Scotty accepted the hand, and struggled to his feet, wiping the snow off his back.

"Thanks," he said. _Now, what the hell were you doing here?_

It was almost as if Lilly has read his mind.

"I, uh...I was just, uh..." she began, before her voice trailed off. He nodded.

"Yeah. I was at a, uh, party, and, uh..."

They awkwardly avoided each other's gazes. After a moment, Scotty shrugged, smiling crookedly.

"You wanna...walk?" Lilly nodded shyly, falling into place beside him. The partners walked in silence, just enjoying the other's company.

The male detective shoved his hands into his pockets. Scotty cleared his throat, a teasing smile appearing around his lips.

"So this is how you spend your Friday nights..."

"Don't, Scotty. I just wanted to...have some fun, you know?"

Chuckling at the dejected tone of her voice, he nudged her with his elbow.

"Relax, Lil. You didn't come out on your own, did you?" Lilly felt her cheeks turn pink, and she looked away.

"I didn't have anyone to call," she mumbled in embarrassment.

Scotty nodded.

"OK. You want fun? Come on, Rush. We'll go find fun."

His partner stared at him. _Is he mad? Or just stupid? No one EVER wants to spend time with me._

"But what about your friends?" she asked, a note of panic edging her voice.

"They won't mind. Half of 'em are too drunk to remember anythin' anyway."

Lilly stifled a sigh. _Crap. That was my only argument._

"You promise there's not some girl waiting for you back at the party?" she asked concernedly. Scotty grinned.

"Jealous?" he teased. She narrowed her eyes. _Yes_.

"No!" she retorted, making sure she put the right amount of outrage in her voice.

He laughed.

"Nah, Lil. 'Sides, even if there was, I'd much rather hang out wit' you."

Her face turned serious.

"Don't say that." Scotty frowned in confusion.

"Lil, what...?"

She was gone before he could continue, speeding up to increase the distance between them. Scotty blinked.

"Yo, Rush, wait up!" he called, jogging after her. Lilly stopped, looking up at the stars. She slowly blew out a breath. _Why did I have to open my mouth?_

Scotty caught her elbow, turning her towards him.

"What's goin' on wit' you, Rush? One minute you're..."

"Look, I'm sorry," Lilly interrupted, "it's just..." Her voice trailed off, and the male detective caught the defeat in her eyes.

_She thinks I'm jus' playin' with her. She thinks that I'm jus' gonna fuck off like all the others...Jesus, Lil. I ain't like them._

"Lil," he said gently. With a weary sigh, the blonde woman looked up at him, and Scotty noticed for the first time how fragile she looked in the pale moonlight.

"What, Scotty?" she replied in a crushed voice.

Scotty studied her carefully, his breath rising up in a plume between them. He could push it; ask her what the hell was going through her head, why she kept running from him. Instead, he settled for a potentially less disastrous comment.

"You eaten yet?"

Lilly breathed a sigh of relief, sending her partner a small, yet immensely grateful, smile. _He's not asking me. Thank God for small miracles._

"Eaten? No. Not yet." Scotty grinned, bending his head to look her in the eyes.

"Do you wanna grab somethin'? Or are you gonna bolt in the opposite direction?"

His partner narrowed her eyes at him.

"That wasn't funny," she said dangerously, trying to stop a smile spreading from her lips at Scotty's infectious grin.

"Sorry," he replied, sounding anything but convincing.

Lilly felt a blush creep up her neck. _Well, this is embarrassing. Caught fighting off some drunk, with no friends, a disastrous social life, and a partner that..._

"Did you know you look cute when you blush?"

Her eyes widened, and she looked across at him incredulously, only to find him staring straight ahead. Lilly was certain that if the stop lights failed, her cheeks would be a perfectly good replacement.

"I...you...I..."

Scotty chuckled, glancing at her open mouth.

"You're welcome, Lil. Now, pizza or hotdogs?"

* * *

Glancing across at her partner, Lilly felt a teasing grin tug at the corner of her mouth. Hearing her suppressed chuckle, Scotty frowned slightly, trying his best to look angry.

"You got a problem, Rush?"

Lilly shook her head.

"No. Tomato sauce suits you, you know," she replied blithely, pointing to his chin, "It's a good look."

Scotty grinned, using one arm to push her away. He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin.

"Shut up, Rush. That piece of cheese on your shirt ain't exactly subtle," he retorted, screwing up the napkin and tossing both the serviette and his pizza crust into the nearest trashcan.

Lilly laughed, a real heartfelt laugh that sent chills racing down his spine. She finished her slice of pizza, and picked the offending cheese from her front.

"Not bad, Valens. I'll let you have that one," she conceded.

They walked a bit further, laughing and savouring the much sought after company. The streets were unusually busy for a cold evening, so Scotty started a game where he took it upon himself to point out potential dates for his partner. Lilly managed to find something wrong with all of them- "His hair is greasy", "He has a twitch in his left eye", "You can just tell he stutters".

"So, really, you got no idea what kinda guy you want?" Scotty had asked, after the tenth man was dismissed with a simple 'I just don't like him.' Lilly had smiled secretively, shrugging slightly.

"Oh, I know exactly what kind of man I want."

Now, they were walking closer together, their hands occasionally bumping against the other. After skin touched skin for the millionth time, Scotty gently wound his fingers through hers, giving Lilly plenty of time to pull her hand away.

She didn't.

* * *

Scotty was thinking hard. Lilly could tell by the deep lines creasing his forehead.

"What are you thinkin' about?" she asked curiously. He grinned, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Nothin'."

Lilly rolled her eyes, her hair fluttering in the slight breeze.

"You lie just about as well as you dance."

"What're you talkin' about, Lil?"

"You know," she teased, "Nashville, Charlene...country music."

The male detective laughed, shaking his head.

"That ain't fair, Lil. Alcohol had a whole lot to do wit' that."

"You're all talk, Valens. Bet you can't dance any better when you're sober," she retorted, "Mind you, Charlene sure didn't seem to mind."

Scotty groaned.

"You ever gonna let me live that down?" he sighed. Lilly laughed, tangling her fingers through his.

"No chance."

They walked a bit further. Scotty looked down, and chuckled.

"You're still holdin' my hand," he observed.

His partner came to a stop, smiling shyly.

"Nothing gets past you, detective."

"I was just..."

"I know," Lilly replied quietly.

Scotty stood, watching her expectantly. She sighed, her smile disappearing.

"Look, Scotty, I like you...probably more than I should. But when something happens between us...I mean, we work together, Scotty! And...I don't want to lose you as a..."

He was grinning like a fool, and as her voice trailed off disconcertedly, Lilly gave a nervous laugh.

"What?"

"You said 'when'."

"Scotty..."

"You said 'when' something happens, not if."

Lilly shook her head.

"Trust you to pick up on the **least** important part of my statement," she muttered. Scotty chuckled.

"It's a talent."

"OK, I know you've probably got plenty of sexy brunettes hiding away that would be willing to step forward and be your girl."

Scotty laughed harder, and despite her best attempts, Lilly couldn't stop the smile that spread from her lips.

"No, actually," he replied, "I prefer blondes."

The smile disappeared, and Lilly felt her heart plummet. _Jesus, Scotty. Please don't bring her up now. _

"Don't, Valens," she began, her voice rising, "Don't..."

Sensing that the Ice Queen was about to make an appearance, Scotty replayed their conversation. _What...why...Dammit. She thinks I'm talkin' about Chris. Christ, Lil, even I ain't that stupid._ He caught her wrist, gently pulling her to a stop.

"You didn't let me finish, Lil."

Lilly blinked, staring at the surprisingly soft hand holding hers.

"What are you doing?" she asked frantically. Scotty shrugged, moving closer.

"You didn't let me finish. I was gonna say I prefer blondes. **A **blonde that I see every damn day, an' it never seems enough."

There was a sudden roaring in her ears, and Lilly blinked. She suddenly stepped forward, bringing her hands up to his face and pressing her lips to his. Scotty froze, too shocked to kiss back.

Lilly fell back, her hands sliding down his neck to rest on his chest. She gave him a shy smile. _Oops. That wasn't __**really **__what I meant to do. _Seeing the surprise on her partner's face, the detective couldn't help but giggle. _Oh well. At least it's out there._

She cleared her throat, and Scotty blinked owlishly. Lilly giggled again, and he realised that he must look like a deer caught in headlights. He was pretty sure that his partner was talking.

"I know you probably think I'm some sort of emotionally stunted Ice Queen, and most of the time that would be true, but this...this isn't most of the time."

Scotty stared at her, his mind focussing on nothing except the taste of her on his lips and the feel of her warm body pressed against his.

"Huh?" he said stupidly.

Lilly rolled her eyes.

"I'm bearing my soul here, Valens. The least you could do is pay attention," she teased. Scotty chuckled in embarrassment.

"Sorry, Lil, it's just..."

"Just what?"

He took a deep breath.

"I keep feelin' like I'm dreaming', an' it's a damn good dream, but..."

"But you know that it's totally gonna suck if it's not real," Lilly finished, smiling shyly. Scotty rested his forehead against hers.

"Yeah."

Lilly raised her eyes to his.

"This is real," she murmured, brushing her lips across his, "and this is real." Her hands slid up to the back of his neck, fingers dancing through his hair. She kissed him again, deeper this time. Scotty finally scraped up the strength to pull her closer, his tongue darting out to gently nudge her lips.

When they finally broke away, breathing heavily and wearing matching smiles, the male detective grinned. _Damn, does she look fine tonight, _he thought_. _Scotty couldn't help but steal another kiss.

"I think I like the way you spend your Friday evenings," he said, nudging his partner's nose with his.

Lilly shrugged indifferently.

"I guess they've improved slightly," she replied casually. She laughed at the look of hurt on Scotty's face.

"Only slightly?"

The blonde detective smirked seductively.

"I know how you can make Friday the best day of the week," she hinted. He grinned, tugging on her hand.

"Come on, Rush! What're you waitin' for?"

Scotty jogged a few steps down the sidewalk, before coming to a stop and looking back at her. Lilly felt a smile appear around her lips as she watched his infectious grin widen. Maybe she wasn't meant to be alone. Maybe this one would turn out OK. _But I'd rather die than risk screwing this up. _

So, Lilly decided, horny drunks could go screw themselves. She was a one-man woman. That particular mans voice broke through her bubble of thoughts.

"You still have cheese on your shirt!"

* * *

So waddya think? Just a little fluff to sidetrack from the angst in...most of my other stories...Anyway, I really hope you can a spare a moment or two (maybe three...) to leave a review. It really would make my day! Thanks!


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